The Board of Directors for Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island recently made the decision to pursue an alternative platform for its 2014 Education at Sea programs while construction of Rhode Island’s official Sailing Education Vessel, the 200-foot SSV Oliver Hazard Perry, is completed. The good news is that some of these journeys are available to the public

The SV Mystic, a 180-foot USCG certified and inspected three-masted square topsail schooner, will carry out OHPRI’s previously announced teen summer camps and voyages for adults as well as newly added programs such as the Professional Development Teachers Voyage, Narragansett Bay Family Weekend and the Waves of Wellness Yoga Voyage .

In all, over 250 trainees will be hosted aboard the Mystic for OHPRI programs scheduled for this summer. Built in 2007 and approaching the size of SSV Oliver Hazard Perry, Mystic is steel-hulled, has 45 berths, and will have as its master the captain of Oliver Hazard Perry, Richard Bailey.

Summer Sessions - Those indicated with an asterisk below are open to the public and have a limited number of openings available. Fees vary. (Visit OHPRI for specifics.)

July 7-11 Sailing for Success: Professional Development for Educators*

July 14-18 Sailing for Success: Professional Development for Educators*

'Our most recently published construction schedule had us completing SSV Oliver Hazard Perry this Spring,' said OHPRI Chair Bart Dunbar. 'However, a harsh winter, the inherent complexity of construction for this kind of a vessel, and the opportunities we’ve had for integrating improvement and upgrades in the ship’s design have put us behind schedule, enough that our most recent delays were looking to eat into the summer we had planned for our onboard education programs.'

Dunbar said the non-profit OHPRI’s mission is to provide quality educational programs at sea that enrich the lives of those participating, and SSV Oliver Hazard Perry is the primary vessel aboard which those programs will be carried out. The organization, however, is no stranger to utilizing additional ships as platforms, as was the case in May 2012 when Captain Bailey brought the Tall Ship Gazela Primeiro up the coast from South Carolina to Newport with six Rhode Island educators aboard for an experiential learning session.

'Crew participation, cooperation and leadership grew out of that program, as it will grow out of the Mystic opportunities,' said Dunbar, 'while allowing the tradesmen who are currently working on Perry the crucial time needed to complete construction.'

The Perry’s six miles of rigging are currently being assembled in Portsmouth, R.I. by a team of 20 riggers. Its three masts, with the tallest more than 13 stories high, will carry 20 sails with 14,000 sq. ft. of sail area.

'When it is completed, the SSV Oliver Hazard Perry will be the largest of its kind to have been built in this country in the last 100 years,' said Dunbar. 'We are both grateful and proud to have been able to guarantee the project’s success through partnerships with foundations, corporations, marine industry businesses, educational institutions and individuals who believe in the value of this very important gift we will bring to the youth and the people of Rhode Island.'